How to Make a Villain Character
Villains! Every story has a protagonist and an antagonist, and to make it interesting, you need a good antagonist. Misconceptions about Villains Villains - what pops into your head when you think of the word villain? Probably Darth Vader or Maleficent, right? They wear black, control the world, are irredeemably evil until the very end, where they get killed by the hero. Ehh... not really. Villains can come in many shapes and sizes. A villain can be your character's classroom bully, that really nasty dog of their neighbor's, or their sister. (That would be an awkward family reunion ^^') Villains have backstories, personalities, motivations, and lives just like any other character. Nobody is evil just to be evil, and if they are, they're probably a demon. But disregarding demons, villains will have a motivation. This makes them harder to create, and as a result, villain characters can be made lazily, with not enough thought put into them. Villains are Important Villains are just as important, if not more so, than the protagonist, and it's important that you give them, not just as much thought into creating them, but more. However, they can be very difficult to create, and write/roleplay them in a compelling and realistic way. They also serve a vital role in any story or roleplay, because without some form of antagonist at some point, the story is boring and flat. We want to see our protagonist overcome something, struggle with things, just like we do. This is why Mary Sues are also very boring to read and interact with. Motivation However, making a villain OC, as we've established, can be very difficult, because villains not only need the full crafting of any normal OC, but also extra care towards their backstory and personality. Every villain needs a motivation. If this seems like too vague of a statement, you can simplify it to: Why are they Evil? I've seen it time and time again - the villain is evil, simply because the story requires an evil character. That's not going to cut it. Perhaps something terrible happened to them in their past. tragedy can be an excellent motivator for them to become evil. Perhaps someone wronged them and they're getting their revenge, or they want to become the most powerful mage. Whatever the reason, or reasons, it has to be something that would realistically push them to becoming evil. Breaking a glass isn't going to make your character flip out and declare war against who broke it. Or... maybe they're not actually evil at all. Why are they the antagonist? What? Aren't villain and antagonist the same thing? No! Not at all! 'Villain' is a character archetype. A person or creature that is evil, wicked, wants to harm the protagonist. Antagonists don't have to 'be evil' to be antagonists. Stay with me here. Your character is on a soccer team. They're one of the best players, and are in a tournament. If their team wins, they win the whole tournament. Your character is sitting on the bleachers, taking a break before the final match, and the star player from the opposing team walks by, waving, and taunting them lightly. "See you in the final round! May the best team win!" The star player isn't evil; they're a person, like you. They didn't even mean that maliciously. But your character is fired up, that's their threat to winning the tournament. That's the rival. That's the antagonist. So, perhaps your character is facing off against an opposing team. Let's go back to the broken glass example. Maybe your character is at odds with their sibling or family member. Or perhaps the antagonist isn't a single person at all. In many distopian novels, the 'bad guy' is the society. Think of 'The Giver', by Lois Lowry. There was no single villain or even single antagonist - the antagonist was the structure of the world itself, which Jonas tries to escape. Point Of View Your villain or antagonist exists with a motivation, or at least a reason for the protagonist to see them as the rival. Aha! That's it! The point of view is vital when it comes to villains. Let's go back to the soccer tournament example. The star player for the opposite team isn't evil. They don't see what they're doing as 'bad', in fact, they're trying to win for their team! In another point of view, they're the hero! But to your protagonist, they're the most threatening person to their chance of winning. See the difference? Your protagonist may not agree with your antagonist's actions, but that doesn't mean the antagonist thinks that they're evil. In fact, the antagonist may not even be a bad person. Villains are a bit different. Usually, they are a bad person; that's the difference between an antagonist/rival, and a villain. Villains have a motivation, a reason for them to actually do bad things. Rivals only work against your protagonist. Think of the rivals in Pokemon games. Robin Hood Robin Hood - is he a villain? He's a thief! He steals from the rich! He breaks the law and lives in the woods! Noblemen see him as a horrible villain. The poor, which he gives his stolen goods to, see him as a hero, and he sees himself as one too. Try and roleplay or write a scene from your villain's point of view. See how they would react to your hero. Villains usually have their own morals and ethics, that differ from the law, or the norm. Good job! I know that was confusing! Rivals, antagonists, villains - all very similar words, but not exact synonyms. Thanks for sticking with it, pal. Hopefully you have a good antagonist for your story now! Remember, three most important things for a good antagonist are: * Personality - start by making a character as your normally would. Use this guide if you need it. * Motivation - complete their backstory with a good reason for them to be the rival, or be evil. * Point of View - your hero and your antagonist may not see eye to eye. Think of different perspectives! Try writing a scene from the villain's POV! Have fun with your new villain OC!